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The SO2 added to wine to combat oxidation makes it's way past the cork at the rate of about 1ppm per month. So if you start with 50ppm at bottling, the SO2 will be gone in about 5 years. The tannins in wine take over, along with 55F degree temps and stored on their side or upside down. These...

If you are going to make cheap moonshine, that's the recipe.

White wine usually is finished to about 3.45 pH and reds to about 3.6. The pros know when to harvest to hit those numbers after cold stabilization. Cold stabilization is done so that the consumer doesn't find "glass shards"' in their wine as well as adjusting the acidity.

I moved to California in the early 1980s', I can look at the mountains and see the snow and go visit it until July when it all melts in Yosemite.

You are in a part of the state that has wine making clubs. I belong to LAVA. the Lodi Amateur Vintners Association. They have lots of equipment for members to use and growers that donate grapes to beginning wine makers. As far as Italian grapes go, find Barbara, Montepulciano, and Aglianico, all...

Tartrates fall out quicker as the wine gets closer to freezing. You can speed things up when the wine gets cold by adding cream of tartar to seed the wine. All cream of tartar comes from the wine industry. At freezing the tartrates will drop out in about three days. About 1/2 tsp per 5 gallons...

"The last bit of goodness" ? Using a wine press properly, involves your sense of taste. As the wine comes off the press you taste it. It will change as the pressure increases. You stop pressing when you get something off the press that no longer tastes good. Some grape varietals, Barbera for...

Dear Home Winemaker, Due to the impacts of COVID, a shortage of staff and volunteers and upon the recommendation from the Home Wine group, the California State Fair Home Wine Competition will not take place as part of the 2022 California State Fair. We are working to bring this important...

What is being called natural yeast here is called native yeast by the pros. It comes in on the fruit that it is attracted to and will ferment up to about 12% alcohol. If you are lucky enough to be able to get grapes grown near a winery, they will have commercial yeast on them that has gone...

If you have sandy soil, phylloxera doesn't care for that type of soil. If you are far enough from any commercial vineyard, you won't have any Phylloxera in your soil, it has to be brought in on root material. Vines started as cuttings won't have any, and if you are careful, may never have any of...